48 hours in Washington

Why go now?

Beam me dowm

British Airways, United and Virgin fly non-stop from Heathrow to Washington's Dulles (IAD) airport; BMI flies from Manchester. Expect to pay around £250 return through discount agencies until mid-March. Dulles airport is 26 miles west; the cheapest way into the centre is to take the Washington Flyer coach to West Falls Church Metro Station (£5.35 one way, £10 return) and then the Orange line Metro (£1.15-£1.90). Door-to-door services are provided by Super Shuttle at £14 one way for the first person, £7 for each other in the group. A taxi costs £23-£36. British Airways also flies between Gatwick and Baltimore, 30 miles north of Washington, for a fare of around £270. Except at weekends, MARC trains connect the airport with Union Station for £3.50 one way, £6.25 return; or take bus B30 (£1.40) to Greenbelt Metro station and the Green line Metro (£1.25-£2) from there.

Get your bearings

Washington, DC is shaped roughly like a diamond: the city is divided into four (unequal) quadrants, with the US Capitol building at the centre. Just about all that is of interest to the visitor is in the left-hand half of the diamond. Whereas this western side is bright and packed with attractions, the east is something of an urban battleground. The city's focus is the National Mall, a long strip of grass originally laid out by a Frenchman, Pierre L'Enfant. The city's main tourist-information office is just off the Mall in the Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW; call 001 202 DC VISIT (001 202 328 4748) or visit www.washington.org. Though many sights can be reached on foot, DC also has a metro system (see www.wmata.com): a one-day pass costs £3.55.

Check in

For some character in pleasant surroundings, try the Kalorama Guest House, which has two properties convenient for the Adams Morgan area and the Woodley Park Metro: 1854 Mintwood Place NW (001 202 667 6369) and 2700 Cathedral Ave NW (001 202 328 0860). Rooms are in restored Victorian townhouses and cost from £56 (double) including continental breakfast and evening aperitif. The downturn in business since 11 September has hit mid-range hotels hard, and several hotels in this category continue to offer some good rates: try www.expedia.co.uk, which offers the Wyndham City Center , 1143 New Hampshire Ave NW (001 202 775 0800; www.wyndham.com) for around £96. Just two blocks from the White House is the Willard Inter-Continental , 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW (001 202 628 9100; washington.interconti.com). This haunt of celebrities offers weekend packages, including breakfast, for £345 for two people.

The icing on the cake

Comprising more than a dozen separate museums and galleries, the Smithsonian Institution (www.si.edu 001 202 357 2700) is the world's largest museum complex. The Institution was founded in 1826 by James Smithson, a British scientist. As you're unlikely to have time to see everything, I'd recommend the National Museum of American History (www.americanhistory.si.edu) and the National Air and Space Museum (www.nasm.si.edu): exhibits at the latter include Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis and Apollo XI. All Smithsonian museums are open daily from 10am-5.30pm and admission is free. (The National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of American Art are closed until 2004.)

Cultural afternoon

The Adams Morgan district is DC's most intriguing multicultural neighbourhood: it is here that every new wave of immigrants seems to settle and set up business. The junction of 18th St NW and Columbia Rd NW is the vibrant centre: walk south from here along 18th St for an eclectic mix of trendy cafés, restaurants, bars, boutiques and independent CD and bookshops. Or head north-east along Columbia Road and in moments you'll think you've been transported to a buzzing Latin American city.

Bracing brunch

The Sunday Brunch menu changes weekly at popular Cashion's in Adams Morgan (1819 Columbia Ave NW, 001 202 787 1819). Good food and good people-watching: £14-£20 per person. Or if you'd prefer a rousing combination of vast quantities of food, art and gospel music, try Sunday Gospel Brunch at the Corcoran Gallery of Art , 500 17th St NW (001 202 639 1786 www.corcoran.org). The music begins around 11.15am. £16 (£8 for under-12s) includes food, music and admission to the art gallery.

Take a hike

Start at the US Capitol Building , about five minutes walk from the Union Station Metro . Head towards the huge needle to the west. On either side of the National Mall are many buildings of the Smithsonian Institution. Turn right and walk along the east side of the White House, then circle round the block, cross the Ellipse and have a look at the 555-foot tall Washington Monument . Continue west and walk along the north (right) side of the Reflecting Pool . Look at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial , then the Lincoln Memorial. Head back round the other side of the Reflecting Pool to the Korean War Memorial . Then either go to Smithsonian Metro station or continue past the FDR and Jefferson Memorials, then the Holocaust Memorial to Smithsonian Metro station.

Lunch on the run

With the feel of a 1950s ice-cream outlet, the Peacock Cafe, 3203 Prospect St NW (open from 10am, Sundays from 11am) has a good-value selection of sandwiches (from £3.75), pasta, fresh juices and coffees for those exploring Georgetown. Or try Wrapworks on Connecticut Ave NW on the north side of Dupont Circle (open daily from 11am) where the menu features oversized tortillas wrapped around a huge choice of ingredients (£4-£5) and many other options too, plus the usual selection of coffees, juices and smoothies.

Take a ride...

on Washington's Metro (Yellow or Blue lines) to King Street Station in Alexandria, Virginia. The trip costs under £3 return (or buy a day pass) and takes around half an hour. Once there, walk along King Street towards the Potomac river. Though what you now see in Old Town Alexandria is not all that authentic – more than 1,500 18th- and 19th-century buildings were recently restored and the re-cobbling of the streets dates from the 1980s – the results are quite fun. The Torpedo Factory at 105 N Union St (open daily 10am-5pm) houses the galleries of 150 artists.

Window-shopping

The brass and green faux- Edwardian décor of Georgetown Park Mall is a good indication that its shops don't fall in the "bargain-basement" category, but window-shoppers are unlikely to be disappointed. Back above ground, M Street is Georgetown's main shopping thoroughfare. Also worth a visit is Union Station : though train services have dwindled to a trickle with the decline of the railway in America, the huge, magnificent Beaux Arts-style marble and terracotta interior now houses numerous shops.

A walk in the park

Of DC's many green areas, head for Rock Creek Park which follows the course of Rock Creek for more than five miles between the Potomac River and DC's border with Maryland. Much of the park's 2,100 acres feel more like natural woodland than a city park. The park encloses the Washington National Zoo, best accessed from the Woodley Park/Zoo Metro Station.

Sunday morning:

Barely a stone's throw from the White House, St John's Episcopal Church at 1525 H St NW (001 202 347 8766, www.edow.org/stjohns) is known as "the Church of the Presidents" – every head of state since James Madison (in 1816) has attended services here. President Bush has continued the tradition, like his predecessors favouring pew 54. On a hill northwest of the city stands the Washington National Cathedral (Massachusetts and Wisconsin Aves, NW: 001 202 537 6200 www.cathedral.org/cathedral). An observation gallery offers good city views. Martin Luther King preached his last Sunday sermon here.

Dinner with the locals

Go ethnic for DC's best low-budget dining: the Meskerem , 2434 18th St NW (001 202 462 4100) continues to be the best place for Ethiopian cuisine. At the Afghan Grill in Woodley Park (2309 Calvert St NW, 001 202 234 5095, closed Monday) business is booming. On offer are a variety of kebabs and grilled meats, and plenty of vegetarian dishes. Main courses from around £7.50. It's not hard to guess what's on the menu at Grillfish , 1200 New Hampshire Ave NW (001 202 331 7310). This seafood restaurant is elegant and stylish without being stuffy, and main courses such as swordfish cost around £12. In Georgetown you'll have to book a table at tiny Bistrot Lepic , 1736 Wisconsin Ave NW (001 202 333 0111).

An aperitif

The phrase "spoilt for choice" was probably coined at The Brickskeller (1523 22nd St NW, www.thebrickskeller.com, 001 202 293 1885) which claims to offer more than 1,000 beers from around the world. A bottle of Pacena from Bolivia, for example, will cost around £2.75. Well worth a visit is Madam's Organ in the Adams Morgan area at 2461 18th St NW (001 202 667 5370, www.madamsorgan.com); the "sorry, we're open" sign sets the tone. There is live music every night. I also liked Bardeo's Wine Bar in Cleveland Park (3309 Connecticut Ave NW 001 202 244 6550) with leather booths and delicious snacks.

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